Kenya has received six patrols, vessels worth Kes306 million donation from Japan to enhance surveillance and combat unregulated and unreported fishing in the Country’s territorial waters.

Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said that the blue economy is the next frontier in economic development, thus the need to enhance security in the blue spaces.

“We have looked at the entire sector and one of the key priorities is to ensure that artisanal fishermen are now able to do fishing as a business.”

Speaking during the launch of the vessels by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in Mombasa, he added tha all Beach Management Units (BMUs) will be put in cooperative society in readiness to venture into industrial fishing.

Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Okaniwa Ken said the six vessels were in addition to 19 that they had previously presented to the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS).

The patrol vessels, Okaniwa said, will ensure the rule of law, safety and security in the seas.

“I hope that illegal fishing will be diminished and people from these areas can benefit from fishing resources in the sea,’’ said the ambassador.

Further, he said that Japan cherished its cooperation with Kenya and noted the need to capacity-build the fisher folk to tap into the blue economy sector.

On her part, Blue Economy and Fisheries PS Betsy Njagi said the Kenya blue economic zone is very rich in fisheries resources.

However, it faced the challenge of illegal, unprotected and unregulated fishing, which remains one of the greatest threats to marine and aquatic systems.

“To protect the country’s blue economy sector, stronger fisheries regulations and management are critical. The patrol vessels will be used to support the enforcement of regulations through monitoring, control and surveillance; however these efforts need cooperation among multi-agency partners,’’ said the PS.